POLICE and customs officers have swooped to arrest several people for questioning into rising people smuggling out of the Didim peninsula.

The arrest come just days after 28 illegal immigrants were rescued from dinghies and other flimsy vessels off Didim and Kusadasi as they attempted to reach Samos – the illegal backdoor entrance into Europe.

Kusadasi Police Department Smuggling and Combating Organized Crime (KOM said six people had been arrested.

Didim District Police Directorate of Anti-Smuggling and Organized Crime (KOM) said that in another seven people were detained and seven otheres released following a three-month inquiry in migrant smuggling. 

The latest batch of immigrants rescued included Syrians and Palestinians.